Envelope opener



Dec. 10, 1957 L. A. DEICKEN ENVELOPE OPENER Filed March 23 1954 T1 avINVENTOR.

l ou |s A- DEICKEN BY [ATTORNEYS United States Patent ENVELOPE OPENERLouis A. Deicken, San Francisco, Calif.

Application March 23, 1954, Serial No. 418,133

3 Claims. (Cl. 30-289) I we 10, as clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6.Broadly speaking, a resilient handle C has its end 12 anchored to thebase A, while the section 14 of the handle is free and is disposed abovethe base. Also, a blade D is removably secured to this handle by aholder E, with the blade projecting downwardly into the slot 11.

As the specification continues, it will be apparent that the blade D maybedepressed into cutting engagement with the envelope B to cut thelatter along the line 15 (see Figure 1), when the base A is drawn alongthe envelope.

It will be noted that the base A has a channel 16 in its top, whichdefines marginal flanges 1717 extending longitudinally of the base. Asdisclosed in Figure 1, the end 12 of the handle is placed in thechannel, and thereafter the portions 17'-17 of these flangesare crimpedresilient handle for up and down movement with and by the handle. Thearrangement is such that the blade may be depressed by the handle intocutting relation with the envelope to open the latter, as the case isdrawn along the envelope.

An object of this invention is to provide improvements in the structuralfeatures for removably securing the blade to the handle. It is proposedto anchor the blade to the handle in such a manner that the former willbe firmly retained against displacement relative to the latter, and atthe same time provide for ready removal of the blade from the handlewhen desired. I

More specifically described, the handle is provided with a longitudinalslot into which the blade may be removably disposed, with the bladeextending above and below the handle. Furthermore, a blade holder isadapted to be telescoped over the handle to firmly anchor the 'blade tothe holder, and yet the holder may be readily removed to permit theblade to be reversed end for end or to be replaced.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification continues.The novel features will be particularly set forth in the claims hereuntoappended.

Drawing For a better understanding of the invention, reference should behad to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, inwhich:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the assembled envelope opener;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are isometric views of the blade, holder andresilient handle, respectively;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the envelope opener, withportions in section; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along thevertical plane VTVI in Figure 5.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should beunderstood that various changes, or modifications may be made within thescope of the annexed claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

Detailed description Referring to the drawing, I provide a baseindicated generally at A having a longitudinal groove 10 in one sidethereof, which is adapted to receive the edge portion of an envelope B.This base is fashioned with a slot 11 in its top, which communicateswith the groove over this end of the handle, thus firmly anchoring thehandle to the base.

The free section 14 of the handle is disposed substantially parallelwith the base A, and has a longitudinal blade-receiving slot 18 formedtherein. The blade D may be removably inserted into this slot, with theblade extending above and below the handle C, as illustrated in Figures5 and 6. The upper part 'of the blade is provided with projections 1919extending from opposite ends thereof, which abut the handle section 14to limit downward movement of the blade relative to the handle.

In its structural features, the holder E is substantially U-shaped,defining upper and lower arms 20 and 21 which are interconnected by areturn bend 22. When the holder is telescoped endwise over the handlesection 14, the arms 20 and21 are positioned above and below thissection of the handle. The upper arm 20 has a longitudinal groove 23dimensioned for snugly receiving the top part of the blade to anchor theblade against lateral movement relative to the handle. This groove maybe defined by inturned flanges 2424, which extend toward one anotherfrom opposite sides of the arm 20.

With reference to the lower arm 21, it is bifurcated by a passageway 25to define longitudinal sections 21'-2l' disposed on and bearing againstopposing faces of the blade D below the handle. This arrangement willfurther retain the blade against lateral movement with respect to thehandle.

The upper arm 20 provides a bottom wall for the groove 23, which engageswith the top 26 of the blade with sufficient friction to retain theholder against accidental displacement from the handle. The grippingaction of the holder on the blade may be increased or decreased bymoving the arms 20 and 21 toward or away from one another, respectively.

As shown in Figures 2, 5 and 6, the blade D has a sharp cutting edge 27,the opposite corners 28-28 of which are slightly rounded. It is quiteobvious that after one corner portion has been dulled, the blade may bereversed end-or-end and the other corner portion utilized. This willprolong the effective life of the blade. The resilient handle C hassufficient elastic power to return to a normal raised position whereinthe sharp edge 27 is substantially or entirely retracted into theconfines of the slot walls 11, when manual depressing force on thehandle is relaxed. This will protect the sharp edge of the blade, and atthe same time leave the groove 10 unobstructed for introduction of theenvelope thereinto.

In Figures 1, 5 and 6, the longitudinal groove 10 has been shown ascommunicating with a recess 29, which.

extends lengthwise of the base A. This recess is positioned below theblade. Upon depressing the holder 29. A bevelled edge 31 facilitatesinsertion of the envelope into the base.

It will be observed that the groove 23 in the upper arm 20 and thelongitudinal sections 21'-21 of the lower arm 21 will preclude the bladeD from wobbling laterally during the cutting of the envelope E. If therewere any tendency for the blade to swing laterally, it might run off theedge of the envelope or be deflected into the body portion of theenvelope.

For the purpose of enhancing the appearance of the envelope opener, astrip of plastic 32 could be added to the top of the holder E, or theupper arm 20 embedded in plastic.

It will be quite apparent that the holder E may be easily removed bymerely pulling it toward the left in Figure 5, without requiring the useof any tools. This will give access to the blade D for reversing orreplacing the latter. Thereafter, the holder may be telescoped over thesection 14 of the handle C again, care being taken that the top part ofthe blade enters the groove 23 of the upper arm 20; while, at the sametime, the sections 21'21' of the lower arm 21 are arranged to straddlethe blade. The return bend 22 limits telescoping of the holder over theresilient handle.

I claim:

1. In an envelope opener: a base having a groove in one side thereof forslidably receiving an edge of an envelope, and having a blade-receivingslot in the top thereof communicating with the groove; a resilienthandle having one end anchored to the base, and having a bladereceivingslot in its free end aligned with the slot in said base; the free end ofthe handle being disposed above the base; a blade removably disposed insaid handle slot, the lower edge of the blade constituting a cuttingedge and normally being received in the base slot; the cutting 4 E edgebeing movable into the groove for cutting an envelope edge when the freeend of the handle is -moved toward the base; the upper part of the bladebeing pro vided with projections extending from opposite ends thereof,which abut the handle to limit downward movement of the blade relativeto the handle; the top of the blade being disposed above the handle; anda bladeholder removably telescoped over the free end of the handle; theblade-holder bearing against the top of the blade and removably securingthe blade to the handle.

2. The envelope opener as set forth in claim 1; and in which theblade-holder has upper and lower arms that are arranged above and belowthe handle, respectively, and enclose the top of the blade and also thatportion of the blade immediately depending below the. handle slot; theupper arm having a longitudinal groove dimensioned to snugly receive thetop of the blade to anchor it against lateral movement relative to thehandles the upper arm bearing against the blade top with sufficientfriction to retain the holder against accidental displacement from thehandle.

3. The envelope opener as set forth in claim 2; and in which the lowerarm is bifurcated to define longitudinal sections disposed on andbearing against opposite side faces of the blade below the handle tofurther retain the blade against lateral movement with respect to thehandle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS673,375 Bayha May 7, 1901 1,216,889 Todd Feb. 20, 1917 1,947,751 WitterFeb. 20, 1934 2,428,490 Goughnour Oct. 7, 1947

